Disclaimer: I, of course, do not own Gravitation, Murakami Maki has that honor.

AU My take on what might have happened if Shuichi had not managed to get there in time to save Reiji from Yuki. Manga Vol. 9.

DeMoN4EvA--Not really 3 in love with him. That was just to set things up for something later (lust and realization). Yeah, I have read all of the remixes but I just have always thought Hiro felt more for Shu than he lets on.

animegirl12182--Thank you for the review I'm glad you stopped to take a look. Sorry though, Hiro and Shu are only temporary, very temporary.

To the Winner

Chapter 7

Ryuichi woke up early. It was unusual for him to wake up without someone holding him, but he thought this was OK because he still had Kumagarou with him. The bunny wasn't really as good as a pair of arms buthe understood why Tatsuha was mad at him.He needed toset his bunny friend to the side, it was time to think like a grown up for while. Many people didn't believe that he was capable of grown up thought and he knew he was considered child-like and immature. But,usually hejust used this to his own advantage. It allowed him to get away with things that would get most people arrested.

Ryuichi knew that somewhere along the line that he had fallen in love with Shuichi. But, where did that leave Tatsuha. He knew thatTatsuha loved him, but Ryuichi always thought that was a kind of idol worship and that there no true feelings involved. Tatsuha's behavior last night had said differently, and from Tatsuha's reaction there were real feelings involved. Ryuichi had never meant for this to happen, but he thought that he should have realized that Tatsuha was still very young and a first real crush could be painful.

He brieflyconsidered getting to Tatsuha's bed, but he knew in his heart that would be the worst thing he could do. Instead he simply walked over and shook Tatsuha's shoulder to wake him up.

"Tat-kun, hey, can you wake up, we need to talk?" Ryuichi asked gently.

"Heh? Ryu is there something wrong?Is Shindou gone again?" Ryuichi felt a brief moment of pain at the look of hope in Tatsuha's eyes.

"No, he's not gone. At least I don't think so, I don't know." Ryuichi ran a hand through his hair. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"There's no need Ryu, I already know what you are going to say."

"No, I don't think that you do."

"You're just going to tell me, thanks it's been fun. Then you'll probably give me one of you Kumagarou bunnies just in case I get upset." Tatsuha chuckled. "Well, I am upset and I don't need one of your damn bunnies."

"Tatsuha you are partly right, it was fun." Ryuichi sighed, "I guess that I didn't understand how you felt until last night. I really did believe that you were just out for a good time too. I didn't know that had real feelings involved."

"Dammit, Ryu, you should have known." Tatsuha yelled, "It was written on my face every time I looked at you, every time we made love."

"I am sorry Tat-kun, I never meant for you to get hurt. If it's any consolation, I didn't realize how I felt for Shuichi until he disappeared. Then he became like an obsession. I couldn't stand not seeing him. And, you should also know that I never been in love before. I almost didn't recognize the feeling until it was almost too late."

"I feel sorry for you Ryuichi if that is really true. I will try to stay your friend, but I don't know if I can. I think it would be best if for tonight you move into the room with Shuichi and have Hiro sleep in here or, hell, I sleep with Shuichi and you can sleep with Hiro, either one."

"Please, don't be this way. You know I can't stand when someone is mad at me."

"Be mad yourself then, you did it to yourself." Tatsuha added spitefully and then rolled over to go back to sleep.

Hehad no answer for Tatsuha's last accusation. He even knewthe young manwas probably right. Thinking like a child most of the time made thinking like an adult difficult and hewas havingtrouble with figuring out what to do now. He paced around the room a couple of times, picked up Kumagarou and immediately tossed him down again.

He did not want to disturb Tatsuha anymore so he gathered his clothes and went to take a shower. Sometimes he thought better in the shower.He realized that he had created a great many problems for himself. He did not know how Shuichi felt about him, for all he knew Shuichi was still in love with Yuki. If this was the case, where did it leave him?But, heknew just where it was going to leave him, in the same boat as Tatsuha. Shuichi had never made any promises to him the only promises were in his own mind.

After nearly half an hour in the shower hedecided that he needed to speak with Shuichi. With his mind made up,he finallygot out of the shower, dried off, and got dressed. As he left the bathroom he could hear noise coming from Shuichi and Hiro's room. "Good" he thought, "at least he's up."

Ryuichi approached the door intending on ordering Hiro out of the room. He should have done this last night, but for some reason he didn't. He quietly opened the door and peeked inside to make sure everyone was dressed. What he saw nearly caused him to throw up. There was Shuichi with his legs wrapped around Hiro's waist doing what he had dreamed of for a very long time. The noises he had heard were moans of passion.

Ryuichi was so engrossed in watching the scene before him that he didn't hear Tatsuha come up behind him.

"Now; you know how I feel." Was all Tatsuha said, but it was enough, heturned on his heel and practically ran out of the hotel room.

Tohma hadn't been able to get to sleep until late in the night. And, the only reason he had managed sleep at all was because he had taken several sleeping pills. As a result he woke up feeling groggy, almost like he had been on a three day drunk. In an attempt to get rid of the groggy feeling had had already had two beers and had taken a couple of "uppers" to get him going. This still did not have desired effect, now he felt like his heart was about to pound out of his chest and the only energy he had achieved was the restless, nervous sort that was not productive. He was having difficulty concentrating.

He was trying to make a list of all the places he had already tried looking for Mika and found himself writing the same places two or three times. He glanced at the clock and realized that he needed to get to the airport if he was going to meet the plane that his operatives from the United States were coming in on. Tohma thought that it was probably a good thing that Mika had taken all of the car keys, in his condition he wouldn't be able to drive. Tohma called for a Limousine to come and take him to the airport, he didn't feel like dealing with a smelly cab this morning.

It seemed like hours before the Limo arrived to pick him up, when it was actually only fifteen minutes. Tohma was glad to see that was his usual driver, this meant that he wouldn't have to answer many questions.

"Hello Seguchi-san, I thought your flight was yesterday?" The driver asked.

"I decided not to go and cancelled my flight. I'm just meeting some men today and I'm going to need for you to wait, I will need a ride back with two other passengers."

"Oh, I thought surely you had kept you flight, I saw your wife at the airport yesterday and thought she was there to see you off."

The driver really had his attention now.

"You saw my wife at the airport yesterday? What time was this?"

"Oh, I'd say it was around four in the afternoon."

"Did you speak with her? Did you see where she went?"

"Sorry, Seguchi-san, I just saw her there. I had another assignment and didn't have time to speak with anyone."

"Thank you anyway. I should have realized that you would not know."

Tohma sat back in his seat. This is the biggest lead he had gotten. What had Mika been doing at the airport? Surely she hadn't attempted to board a plane in her condition; no airline would have let her on. He decided to ask a few questions at the ticket counters anyway. If he needed to he could call in some favors to make sure his questions got answered.

Tohma arrived at the airport with a few minutes to spare before the flight from the United States was due to arrive. He walked to the security office and asked to speak the manager.He hardly recognized the man that came out to greet him.

"Seguchi-san, I am honored to see you. How may I help you?" The chief of security at the airport was an old friend of Tohma's. He was originally personal guard for Nittle Grasper and when the band broke up Tohma had helped get him the position as security chief of the airport. It was hard to believe that the distinguished looking man standing in from of him now used to look like you typical druggie rocker.

"I need to call in a favor. I seem to have misplaced my wife, and I am very anxious to reacquire her. I have some intelligence that she was here in the airport yesterday afternoon. I would very much appreciate if you could take this picture of her around to the ticket offices to see if anyone remembers seeing her. It might also help to know that she is very pregnant, in fact, she is due to give birth tomorrow."

The man took the picture and gave a quick glance to the face. He already knew what Seguchi-san's wife looked like, but he hadn't seen her in a while and felt he needed a reminder. I will check, I really don't know if it will do any good but I will ask, if she did not actually get on a plane, chances are no one will remember her.

"All I ask is that you try. I need to go for now, I am meeting some men coming in from the States. However, I will stay here long enough to get something to eat in the diner. If you find anything let me know. If I have already left feel free to call me at my home number, you still have it.?"

"Yes, I still have the number."

"Good, feel it out and give me a call one way or another."

Tohma reached the terminal just as the passengers were disembarking and he only waited a few minutes before he spotted his operatives. The men approached him quickly with curious looks on their faces.

"Come," Tohma ordered and led them to the diner. Tohma was now in such a good mood that he ordered lunch for everyone and a couple of drinks too.

"So, what's up boss?" The man was American and spoke with a horrible accent, Tohma grimaced.

"I don't really know yet. I am waiting here on someone who might have some news. Go ahead and eat, if he doesn't show up soon we'll go back to my apartment and I'll explain there. But, for now, we just wait."

They had been in the diner long enough to finish eating when the security chief reappeared trailing a young woman behind him.

"Seguchi-san, this is Ai-san, she has a story to tell you." Tohma nodded to the young woman to begin.

Ai bowed deeply before beginning her story. She said that she was working the ticket counter when the woman in the picture came up to purchase tow tickets to New York City in the United States. There was some question of her flying because she was obviously in the last trimester of her pregnancy. However, the woman's husband was a physician and would be flying with her so the airline had to let her on the plane.

"You said the woman was with her husband, do you remember their names?"

"Hai, Seguchi-san, the names were Dr. and Mrs. Alex Williams."

"And, you're sure those were the names?"

"Hai, I am sure."

"And, you're sure they were going to New York."

"Hai, New York with a connecting flight at LAX."

"Thank you Ai, you have been a great help."the womanbowed again and left with the security chief.

Tohma turned to his two operatives, "It looks like you guys get fly right back to New York."

Mika was amazed that she had been able to successfully lie her way onto the plane. She was so close now. She had actually made it to the United States all she had left was the trip across country.

She was forced to push back a sense of annoyance at Dr. Williams. His threats and interference had almost prevented her from making the final leg of her trip. With a chuckle she thought that if he knew the real truth there would be no way he would have allowed her to be on this plane right now. But, the plane had taken off and she had been safely in the air for twenty minutes. She could already see mountains below her. She was finally heading to New York and everything might be all right after all.

Back in Los Angeles she had known that she was in labor. Her back had felt tight and achy all morning. She had not yet had any labor pains but it was only a matter of time. That damn Alex Williams was so perceptive he had almost guessed. There was no way she could be truly angry with him, annoyed, but not angry.

Dr. Williams, Alex, seemed to genuinely care. After living with Seguchi Tohma for so many years it had taken her a while to recognize the emotion, especially when it was directed towards her. She could see it every time she looked into his eyes. At first, the look had confused her. She had promised to fund his clinic but the caring seemed to go deeper that just a desire for money. She had given him an out, offered to go ahead and pay him back in Los Angeles, but he had insisted on continuing the rest of the journey with her. She also found she did not like lying to him.

Gathering her courage she finally turned to meet his eyes, "Alex, I promised I would tell you the truth. So, I think that you should know that my back is starting to hurt."

For a moment he only regarded her with skepticism, "Mika I want the real truth, you were in pain before we left Los Angeles, weren't you?"

She couldn't keep the stricken look off of face, "Yes. The pain started on our descent and has been getting worse ever since. But, I have not had any labor pains yet."

"Is the pain steady or does it get worse and then better?"

"It does get worse from time to time." Mika felt like the man's eyes were pinning her to the seat.

"Mika, you are in labor. The pains you are having in your back are labor pains. I am going to need to do another exam." Alex rose from his seat and gave her a hard glare, "Wait here."

When Alex had ordered another exam she had expected another round of abdomen feeling. "Just where are you going?" she demanded in panic.

With a sigh Alex turned to back to give her a compassionate look, "I need to see how far you have dilated."

"What!" Several people turned to give them annoyed looks and she realized that she had been too loud.

"Just wait here, I'm going to go see if there is somewhere we can go for some privacy."

Mika say back in her seat. She was not comfortable with the idea of Alex giving her a gynecological exam. It was odd, he was a doctor there was no reason for her to be uncomfortable. Yet, the feeling persisted. It wasn't long before he returned with a stewardess in tow.

"We have an emergency cot set up in the crew lounge. Can you get up and follow me?"

"Of course I can get up. It's just a little pain in my back." As soon as she stood a wave of dizziness washed over her and a rush of fluid ran down her legs. A startled "Oh!" was all she could manage to say.

Alex caught her as she swayed and she was wrapped in strong arms that lifted her off of her feet. Before she could protest, he was carrying her towards the back of the plane. "What's happening? I feel really…," her words were cut off as sudden pain shot across her abdomen.

"Your water broke, that does happen when you are in labor." The tone of his voice was so calming that she felt instantly reassured. "Everything is going to be OK."

With gentle hands Alex helped her onto the cot and began undressing her from the waist down. Still trying to maintain some dignity she ordered him away and only allowed the stewardess who was present to assist her. Once she was ready with a blanket draped over her she allowed the stewardess to call Alex back. When he came back in, Mika had difficulty thinking of him as Alex anymore. This was a very professional Dr. Williams and she was comfortable again.

"I need to for you tell me when you have more pains and when they start."

She could only nod. She was starting to get scared now, only not because of Dr. Williams. She suddenly realized that she really did not want to have her baby on an airplane. She had been so stupid. She should have remained in Los Angeles and caught the first plane after the baby was born. She was so used to being stubborn and sneaky, thanks to Tohma that she was willing to risk her child just to get her way.

"Mika?" Dr. William's voice interrupted her thoughts, "I am going to do the exam now. The stewardess is going to be right here." She watched as he opened his medical bag and removed gloves and several other items. "I need for you to raise your knees and spread you legs some." There was still only calm reassurance in his voice.

After only a couple of minutes of examination Dr. Williams sat back up and removed his gloves. "Well, it is not as bad as I had suspected. Eventhough your water has broken you are only dilated about two centimeters. It looks like we still have some time." Alex told her with a grin, "You are going to need to stay back here, lying down. You can lay on you side if it helps, but you must stay down."

Mika felt the cramping pain again and watched as Alex checked his watch.

"It looks like your contractions are about twelve minutes apart. I would say that you have at least several hours left. We should be able to get landed before the baby starts coming."

"Alex it hurts." Eventhough she had only two contractions the pain in her back was now a steady ache.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I don't have anything I can give you for the pain. You'll just have to wait until we land. You're a tough lady Mika Seguchi or you not have even attempted this trip. You can do this, it won't be much longer."

"Alex, I'm the one that's sorry. I was only doing what I thought was right."

"Everything will be all right, even if I do have to deliver on the plane, I knew that I might the second I agree to do this. Your baby is fully turned and I do not see any complications." Alex gave her hand a small squeeze, "This is your first child isn't it?"

Mika only gave a nod.

"It might make you feel better to know that what people say is right, labor is usually longer for the first child."

Alex started to pull away and she grasped his hand tightly, "Don't leave Alex, I'm scared."

"Just for a few minutes, I need to. I do have to make a couple of calls to arrange for an ambulance pick-up at the airport. I also need to arrange for a gynecologist and obstetrician since you do not have anything already arranged."

"I want you to deliver the baby, I trust you." She could hear the pleading in her own voice and for once it didn't bother her.

"Don't worry I'll be there. You can trust the person I'm calling Mika, she's my sister.

Sort of a set-up Chapter this time. There will be more action in the next.

Read and Review--Let me know what you think!